Surviving Sunset
by NixelM
Summary: Leif wakes to find himself in an unfamiliar forest. He has nothing with him but his clothes and a map. He must find a way to survive in this new world until he can find a way home. Only the first day is easy, though. Suddenly he is surrounded by unknown and fierce creatures. Can he hold his own against skeletons, zombies, and even silent creatures that explode?


Leif opened his eyes. He was groggy and the world around him seemed hazy for a moment. It was almost too bright and he had to blink a few times to clear his mind. Looking around, he came to the frightening realization that he didn't know where he was. There were trees, oak trees, as far as he could see. He'd never seen so many in one place. The air was pleasantly warm and the grass was vibrantly green. As lovely as the scenery was, he didn't know it.

A nearby branch was low enough for Leif to climb. He pulled himself up and continued to climb until he reached the top branch. He looked out at the landscape around him. A shiver went up his spine as he realized that, not only was none of it familiar, but he seemed entirely alone.

To the north, the land rose up into hills and, further on, a large mountain. The west revealed an end to the forest, opening into fields dotted with ponds. The south and east didn't offer anything new. The forest covered everything in those directions, though a glimmer on the southern horizon suggested an ocean or sea.

Leif looked to the sky. It was wide and impossibly blue. Puffy clouds dotted it here and there. The sun was far to the east. He estimated the time to be around 7 a.m. or 9, at the latest. Thinking the fields to be the most desirable location, he decided to head west. He climbed down to the lowest branch and dropped down, hearing a sound in his pocket. Curiously, he checked and pulled from his pocket a piece of thick paper and a crude pencil. On one edge was clumsy handwriting titling the paper "MAP". There was nothing else on the paper.

The trees were harder to navigate than Leif had thought, but by climbing trees and adjusting his direction, he was able to make progress. It was nearly noon when he heard a sudden rustle behind a tree. He picked up a heavy stick and crept around the tree, keeping a safe distance away. He raised the stick as the thing came into view.

The cow looked up, still chewing the grass. Leif stared at the thing, baffled. It was surely a cow, but it was smaller than him. The cow blinked its brown eyes. They were big and bored looking. "Hello." Leif said awkwardly. The cow responded by taking another mouthful of the lush grass. Shrugging, Leif moved on. The cow, still chewing, followed. He waved his stick at it to shoo it, but to no avail. Giving up, he allowed the cow to follow him.

Several hours passed before Leif, his new companion close behind, saw a break in the trees. The grasslands stretched before them. The cow bent down and took another bite of the grass. Leif's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since he'd woken and he didn't know how long before that. He looked around for any sign of food, but saw none. Deciding to keep moving, he climbed a tree to find a new point on the horizon. The cow watched, uninterested.

Out in the fields, Leif couldn't see anything of particular interest, aside from a few animals. Far to his right, he could see that the hills continued for some distance. He thought it best to follow the treeline south until he could find a place to go. Perhaps he would come across something familiar. He thought the chances slim, though. He scribbled out on his paper a rough map of where he'd been. Back on the ground, he picked up his stick and began heading south along the edge of the forest.

For most of the few hours left in the day, Leif followed the forest's edge. It had begun to curve southwest. The cow, though it seemed slow and bored, kept up with him. Slowly, though, the sun began to set and Leif began to tire. He looked around for some place to sleep. Whenever he tried to lay on the ground, his bovine companion would nudge and bother him until he had to move on.

Finally, Leif settled for a tree branch where the cow couldn't reach him. He chose a place where he could look up at the quickly darkening sky. He watched as the remainder of sunlight drained from the sky, leaving only the night. Even the stars were unfamiliar. Leif shifted on the hard branch and wondered if he might wake up at home in his warm bed. Despite the acute discomfort of his perch, Leif soon drifted into a deep sleep.


End file.
